Contestants Cashing in at San Antonio Rodeo

Hailey Kinsel and her great mare, Sister, stopped the clock in 13.86 seconds to win the first round of Bracket 1 at the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo. San Antonio Rodeo photo by Greg Westfall.

SAN ANTONIO – The first performance of the most lucrative rodeo on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit got underway at the San Antonio Stock Show on Thursday night.

The rodeo has featured a tournament style format since 2003 when it moved into the AT&T Center. A total of 50 contestants earned the right to compete here. They are divided into groups of 10 that each compete in one of five brackets. They compete for three consecutive nights as part of their bracket and hope to be among the four highest money winners to move onto the Semifinals.

Thursday night’s rodeo saw the first paychecks for Bracket 1. Among the winners were the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association reserve-champion barrel racer Hailey Kinsel. Kinsel, who lives less than 100 miles from San Antonio at Cotulla, rode her great mare, DM Sissy Hayday that she calls Sister. This is their first time that Kinsel has qualified for this rodeo where they stopped the clock in 13.86 seconds to win $2,378.

Kinsel graduated from Texas A & M last May, and won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association title in June. Now she is through with school and concentrating on barrel racing. She finished second at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo last week and was fourth in the world standings prior to running here. She has the potential to improve that position with more fast runs in the AT&T Center.

The big winner here already is in the bull riding. Trevor Kastner from Roff, Okla., leads the world standings after winning in Fort Worth. He was the lone man to ride eight second on Thursday and while it wasn’t a big score, it got him a big check. Kastner rode a bull from California, four Star Rodeo’s Hot Rod. When the judges added up their scores, he had 78 points and was hoping to get a check.

When the rest of the bull riders came up short, Kastner got all of the prize money for the performance. That $5,945 will get him a trip back here to compete in the semi-finals and have him looking towards his first San Antonio Rodeo championship.

Friday night’s rodeo action will see the same contestants competing in round two of Bracket 1, beginning at 7 p.m.

The following are results after the first performance of the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo, the 12-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year.

About the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo:
Established in 1949, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, winner of the PRCA Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year for an unprecedented 13 consecutive times, has grown to be one of the largest and most prestigious single events in the city, with over 2 million visitors entering the grounds each year. The success of the organization is attributed to over 6,000 volunteers who give countless hours to the organization. With community, donor and volunteer support, the organization has donated over $186 million to the youth of Texas through scholarships, grants, endowments, auctions, a calf scramble program and show premiums. For more information, visit sarodeo.com.